Combination pool and billiard table.



J. BYNER.

COMBINATION POOL AND BILLIARD TABLE.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP PT. 13, 1909.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

2 BBBBBBBBBB L uwum I mom/E rs WITNESSES 8 INVENTOH W a,

J. BYNBR.

COMBINATION POOL AND BILLIARD TABLE.

APPLICATION rmm snr'r. 1a, 1909.

980, 142. Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES I INVENTOR a; 4

John Bylaw ATTOHNE 78 mi NQRII: PIN!!! 0a.. VIASHIIJUYGN. 17.0.

JOHN BYNER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINATION POOL AND BILLIARD TABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2'7, 1910.

Application filed September 13, 1909. Serial lflo. 517,385.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BYNER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, Long Island City, borough of Queens, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Combination Pool and Billiard Table, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to pool and billiard tables, and the objeotof the invention is to produce a combination table having removable cushions which can be placed in the corners and at the side pockets, so as to transform the pool table into a billiard table.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims. Reference is to be had to the accompanymg drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan showing a corner of a table and illustrating the construction at this point which enables the table to be transformed as suggested; Fig. 2 is a vertical section takenon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing how the removable cushions are held in position; Fig. 3 is a plan of the edge of the table at one of the side pockets and illustrating the manner in which the table may be transformed as suggested; Fig. 1 is a detail plan of one of the fillers or cushion sections used at the side pockets; and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing one of the fillers or cushion sections used at a corner pocket.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents one of the corner pockets of a pool table, said pocket being provided with the usual pocket iron 2, having a leather cover 3, and having shanks 1 which project from the ends of the cover, as shown. These shanks are of the usual flat form and they are attached in any suitable manner to the upper sides of the top rail 5 of the table which overhangs the side board or rail 6 of the table, as indicated in F i 2. The side rail 6 is provided with bolts l which secure the slate 8 in position, as'shown. This slate 8 is provided with the usual cover. 9 of billiard cloth, upon which the balls roll.

In applying my invention at the corner pocket of such a table, I cut away a portion of the cushion rail 10, which cushion rail has the form shown in Fig. 2, with a cushion 11 attached to the forward side thereof and adapted to be struck by the balls in the usual manner. At one side of the pocket the rail is cut on a plane at right angles to the direction of the rail and so that a rectangular notch or recess 12 is formed. This notch or recess presents a face 13 at the end of the fixed rail 14. The other side 15 of the notch is formed on a line running at right angles to the face 13, and cuts away a portion of the inner edge of the top rail 5. This face 15 is located so far back that it passes under the inner edge of the shank 4:. When the table is being used as a pool table, this notch is occupied by a short block 16 having the form illustrated in Fig. 5. The outer part of this block is formed of a wooden piece 17 having a face 18 which is adapted to present itself to the face 15 of the notch 12. In this face 18 a nut 19 is countersunk, and this nut is adapted to be engaged by the threaded extremity of a thumb screw 20 which passes through the side rail 6. In addition to this the face 18 is provided with a dowel pin 21 which is received in a corresponding recess 22 formed in the face 15. In the other side of the pocket the rail is cut away in a similar manner, but the notch 23 which is formed at this point presents an inclined face 24 on the end of the fixed rail 25. The other face 26 of the notch runs parallel with the rail and extends under the shank 4; of the iron in the same manner as at the other side of the pocket. At this point a block is set which is similar to the blocklG, except that its end face is inclined so as to suit the inclination of the face 24. The block 16 presents an inclined cushioned face 27 which forms a guide to the pocket, and the block at the other side will be similarly formed.

When it is desired to transform the table into a billiard table, the short blocks at the sides of the pocket are removed and the notches 12 and 23 are then occupied by rail sections 28 and 29 which present cushions I 30 and 31 which aline with the fixed cushions of the permanent rails. The adjacent ends of these long blocks or bars are cut on an incline so that they come together to form a miter joint, as indicated in Fig. 1. The cushion 30 has its end face cut at right angles to its outer side face so that it abuts against the face 13, as shown. The end of the bar 29 remote from the pocket, is inclined so as to fit closely against the face 24:. These blocks or bars have their outer faces provided with nuts 32 and dowel pins 33. The nuts 32 are adapted to receive the threaded ends of the thumb screws 20, and the dowel pins 33 project into the recesses 22 of the top rail 5 and assist in holding the bars in position. These dowel pins, however, are not so necessary in connection with the long bars as they are in connection with the blocks at the sides of the pocket when the table is being used as a pool table.

Special attention is called to the inclined relation of the face 2 1 and to the fact that the end of this face is disposed remote from the pocket and nearer the middle of the rail. This arrangement greatly facilitates the placing in position of the bar 29' for it permits the end of this bar remote from the pocket to be swung inwardly over the edge of the slate. This inclination is not great so that the inclined cut through the cushion which is formed at this point does not materially interfere with the normal action of the cushion if the ball should strike just at this point. It is only necessary to incline one end of one bar, as shown. WVhen in position these bars form continuations of the main rail so that the corners of the table give substantially the same action as the bodies of the rails when struck by the ball.

In applying the invention to a side pocket 34 such as shown in Fig. 3, I form rectangular notches 35 at each side of the pocket, and these notches are normally occupied by short cushion blocks 36. The backs of these blocks are formed of wooden pieces 37 having nuts 38 countersunk in their longitudinal faces, and having dowel pins 39 in these faces, as shown. These notches are cut so that when the blocks 36 are in position they project under the inner edges of the shanks 40 of the pocket irons, as indicated. These cushion blocks 36 present inclined faces 11 which assist in guiding the balls into the pocket, as will be readily understood. These blocks may be held in position by means of thumb screws 42, similar to the thumb screws 20, and which are applied in the same manner. The longitudinal faces of the notches 35 present recesses 43' which are adapted to receive the dowel. pins 39, as will be readily understood. When the table is to be used as a billiard table, each side pocket is closed by means of a bar 44, the

back 45 whereof is formed of wood, and the rear face of this back fits against the longitudinal faces of the notches. The bar presents a cushion L6 which is in accurate alinement with the main cushion 47 at the side of the table, and the bar fills neatly the 3 space or gap formed by the notches at this point. Although these side bars are pro vided with dowel pins, these dowel pins are not so necessary as when used in connection with the short blocks. In Fig. 3 the dotted lines 48 indicate the position of the faces 11 when the short blocks are in position. Likewise in Fig. 1 the dotted lines 49 indicate the position of the guide faces 27 of the corner blocks.

Special attention is called to the fact that the edges of the shanks 4 project over the edges of the bars and this feature is advantageous as the shanks are then made to as sist in retaining the bars or blocks in position, as will appear from an inspection of Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A combination pool and billiard table having pockets and having notches formed in the cushion rail thereofadjacent to said pockets, said pocket-s having pocket irons with shanks projecting over the edges of said notches, cushion bars received in said notches adapted to complete the cushion rail and projecting under said shanks, and means for retaining said bars in said notches.

2. A combination pool and billiard table having a corner pocket with a notch formed in a cushion rail at one side of said pocket, said notch presenting an inclined face and a face substantially parallel to the rail, a cushion bar received in said notch completing the cushion and having an inclined end face abutting against said first-named inclined face, said table having a second notch on the other side of the pocket in the cushion rail thereof, presenting a face transverse to the rail at this point and presenting a face running longitudinally of the rail at this point, a cushion bar completing the cushion rail and fitting in said second notch, said bars having inclined faces meeti'ii'g together to form a miter oint, and means for retaining said bars in said notches, said pocket having a pocket iron with shanks projecting over the edges of said notches and adapted to rest against the upper faces of said cushion bars.

3. A combination pool and billiard table having pockets, and having notches formed in the cushion rail thereof adjacent to said pockets, said pockets having pocket irons with shanks projecting over the edges of said notches, the side rail of said table having recesses therein registering with said name to this specification in the presence of notches, cushion bars recgived in said two subscribing witnesses. V notches and said recesses, a apted to complete the cushion rail and. pro ect under said JOHN BYNER' 5 shanks, and means for retaining said bars in WVitnesses:

position. J AMES J. MEADE, In testimony whereof I have signed my SETH LYBOLT. 

